SMA POWER REDUCER BOX Parts list manual

REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 | 98-0018712 | Version 1.2 EN
System monitoring
POWER REDUCER BOX
Technical Description

SMA Solar Technology AG Table of Contents
Technical Description REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 3
Table of Contents
1 Notes on this Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.1 Scope of Validity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.2 Target Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Symbols Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2 Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.1 Appropriate Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.2 Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3 Unpacking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.1 Scope of Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2 Identifying the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4 Mounting the Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.1 Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.2 Mounting Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.3 Mounting the Power Reducer Box on the Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.4 Mounting the Power Reducer Box on a Top Hat Rail. . . . . . . . 15
5 Electrical Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.1 Overview of the Connection Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.2 Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the Radio
Ripple Control Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.3 Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the Ethernet Network. . 18
5.3.1 Connection within a Local Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.3.2 Connecting the Power Reducer Box Directly to a PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6 Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.1 Connecting the Power Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.2 Network Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.2.1 Setting the PC to the Standard Network Settings of the Power Reducer Box. 21

Table of Contents SMA Solar Technology AG
4 REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 Technical Description
6.2.2 Setting the Power Reducer Box to the Local Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.2.3 Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the Local Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
7 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7.1 Log in to the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7.2 LED Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7.3 Overview of the Program Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
7.4 Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
7.5 Context Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.6 Device Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
7.6.1 Updating the Device Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.7 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.7.1 Filtering and Displaying Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.7.2 Downloading Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7.7.3 Saving Events to an SD Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7.8 WebBox Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
7.8.1 Registering Sunny WebBox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
7.8.2 Deleting / Editing Sunny WebBox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.9 Configuring the System States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
7.9.1 Setting Active Power Limitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
7.9.2 Setting the Reactive Power Setpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
7.9.3 Setting the cos Phi Setpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
7.9.4 Setting Combined Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7.9.5 Setting General System States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
8 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
8.1 Setting the Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
8.2 Resetting Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
8.3 Setting Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
8.3.1 Static Network Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
8.3.2 Setting Date and Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
8.3.3 Setting the Log File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

SMA Solar Technology AG
Technical Description REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 5
9 Service Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
9.1 Firmware Update via SD Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
9.2 Stopping the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
9.3 Resetting the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10 Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
10.1 Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
10.2 Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
11 Decommissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
11.1 Dismounting the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
11.2 Packing the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
11.3 Disposal of the Power Reducer Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
12 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
12.1 Meaning of the LEDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
12.2 Explanation of the LEDs at the Ethernet Connection . . . . . . . . . 47
13 Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
14 Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
14.1 SD Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
15 Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Notes on this Manual SMA Solar Technology AG
6 REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 Technical Description
1 Notes on this Manual
This manual describes how to install, mount and operate the Power Reducer Box. Store this manual
where it can be accessed at all times.
1.1 Scope of Validity
This manual applies to firmware versions 1.5.2 and later.
1.2 Target Group
This manual is for qualified personnel and the user. Some tasks described in this manual may only be
performed by qualified personnel. These tasks are identified with safety warnings.
1.3 Symbols Used
The following types of safety precautions and general information appear in this document as
described below.
DANGER!
DANGER indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or
serious injury.
WARNING!
WARNING indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or
serious injury.
CAUTION!
CAUTION indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or
moderate injury.
NOTICE!
NOTICE indicates a situation that can result in property damage if not avoided.
Information
Information provides tips that are valuable for the optimal installation and operation of
your product.

SMA Solar Technology AG Safety
Technical Description REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 7
2 Safety
2.1 Appropriate Usage
With the Power Reducer Box it is possible to implement active power limitation or reactive power
setpoint in accordance with the requirements of the grid safety management (GSM) for a PV system.
For this four digital states (e.g. of a radio ripple control receiver) are able to be imported with the
Power Reducer Box and the inverters can be set according to the specifications of the utility operator.
The four input ports are freely configurable via the integrated web interface. If a signal from the radio
ripple control receiver is present, the Power Reducer Box analyzes the signal and relays an instruction
via the Ethernet network to the registered Sunny WebBox devices. Activated Sunny WebBox devices
transfer the instruction to the connected inverters.
Events are recorded onto the internal memory of the Power Reducer Box. Additionally it is possible to
write events onto an SD card or download events via the web interface.
Function Overview of the Power Reducer Box
• Integrated web server (for configuration of the Power Reducer Box).
• Log book, in which every event is saved along with a time stamp.
• HTTP download of the events in csv format.
• Support of up to 50 Sunny WebBox devices.
• Saving of events onto SD card.

Safety SMA Solar Technology AG
8 REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 Technical Description
Supported Devices
•All WebBox devices with firmware version 1.45 and later.
– The transmission protocol of your system must be set to SMA-NET.
– The Sunny WebBox devices must not be operated in DHCP mode.
You can find a current list of all inverters supported by the Power Reducer Box on the Web interface
of the Power Reducer Box ("Status configuration > Compatibility list") or in the download section of
www.SMA.de/en.
If you have further questions regarding supported inverters, please contact the SMA Service Line.
Operating Modes
• Active Power Limitation
– Implementation of the instruction for power limitation in less than one minute.
– Configurable delay time for reconnection to the 20 kV grid.
• Setpoint for Reactive Power Output together with Active Power Output
– fixed power factor cos Phi (static parameter).
– fixed reactive power in % of the maximum possible reactive power (static parameter).
The Power Reducer Box is only suitable for use with original accessories from SMA Solar Technology
or with accessories recommended by SMA Solar Technology.
Please also refer to the technical data of the Power Reducer Box.
Active Power Limitation to 0 %
At an active power limitation to 0 % the inverters cannot be completely dimmed to 0 watts.
A low residual power will continue to be fed-in depending on the inverter type in use.

SMA Solar Technology AG Safety
Technical Description REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 9
2.2 Safety Instructions
Electrical Connection
WARNING!
Risk of lethal electric shock as a result of incorrect working on the Power Reducer
Box.
• All work on the Power Reducer Box may only be carried out by qualified personnel.
NOTICE!
Electrostatic discharges can damage the Power Reducer Box.
• All installation work on the Power Reducer Box must be carried out by qualified
personnel.
• Avoid coming into contact with components' connections and plug contacts.
• Ground yourself before working on the device.
NOTICE!
Safety-relevant parameters
You can change the safety-relevant inverter parameters of your PV system using the Power
Reducer Box. Usually, these parameters may only be changed upon consultation with the
energy supplier into whose grid you are feeding.
In case of doubt, please contact your energy supplier.

Safety SMA Solar Technology AG
10 REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 Technical Description
Operating Instructions
Inverters not supported in the PV system
Inverters not supported do not implement the parameters via the Power Reducer Box. The
parameters of the utility operator can however be achieved. For this the status
configuration of the Power Reducer Box must be adjusted so that the output of the
supported inverters is more strongly controlled.
If the utility operator requires an active power limitation of 0 %, the unsupported inverters
must be disconnected via a suitable switching unit.
In case of doubt, please contact your utility operator or the SMA Service Line before you
commission the Power Reducer Box.
No automatic firmware update for registered Sunny WebBox devices
When using the Power Reducer Box for managing feed-in, the automatic firmware update
must be deactivated in all Sunny WebBox devices that are to be registered. Please note
that the specifications of the utility operator cannot be implemented during the Sunny
WebBox update process.
No DHCP mode in the registered Sunny WebBox devices
In the case of changing IP addresses in the WebBox devices (e.g. in DHCP networks) the
Power Reducer Box does not function correctly. Convert all Sunny WebBox devices to be
registered by the Power Reducer Box to static IP addresses.
Data traffic via the RPC interface
Limitation instructions from the Power Reducer Box are sent via the Sunny WebBox RPC
interface. Avoid additional data traffic via the Sunny WebBox RPC interface, so as not to
compromise the speed of the limitation instructions.
JavaScript
JavaScript must be activated in your browser!
Data security
You can connect the Power Reducer Box to the internet. This, however, carries a security
risk. SMA recommends changing the login password after the initial installation in order to
protect it from unauthorized access by third parties. Select a number-letter combination
with at least 8 characters for your password (see section 8.1”Setting the Password.”
(page38)).

SMA Solar Technology AG Unpacking
Technical Description REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 11
3 Unpacking
3.1 Scope of Delivery
Check the delivery for completeness and any visible external damage. Please contact your dealer if
the delivery is not complete or you find any damage.
Position Quantity Designation
A1 Power Reducer Box
B 1 Plug-in power supply with four adaptors
C 1 Red Ethernet cable (patch cable)
D 1 Blue Ethernet cable (crossover cable)
E 1 Screwdriver
F2 Screws
G2 Wall anchor
H 1 Technical description with drilling template and compatibility list
I 1 Pre-assembled cable (length 2.5 m) with 7 pole socket
(for the connection of the radio ripple control receiver)

Unpacking SMA Solar Technology AG
12 REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 Technical Description
3.2 Identifying the Power Reducer Box
Type Plate
You can identify the Power Reducer Box using the type
plate. The type plate can be found on the underside of the
enclosure. It contains information regarding the specific
characteristics of the device, serial number, version and
MAC address.
Firmware Version
The firmware version can be found on the Power Reducer
Box web interface in the lower left corner.

SMA Solar Technology AG Mounting the Device
Technical Description REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 13
4 Mounting the Device
The Power Reducer Box can be mounted on a wall. If you choose to mount the device on a wall, you
can either mount it directly to the wall or on top hat rails.
4.1 Dimensions
4.2 Mounting Location
Observe the following ambient conditions for the Power Reducer Box:
• The Power Reducer Box is only suitable for mounting in enclosed spaces.
• The ambient temperature must be between -20 °C and +60 °C during operation.
• The Power Reducer Box should be protected from dust, wet conditions, corrosive substances
and vapors.
• The cable length of the digital connection between the Power Reducer Box and the radio ripple
control receiver may be a maximum of 3 m.
• The device should be located near to a 230 V socket.
• The cable feeds require approx. 15 cm of space below the enclosure.
• Lay the cables so that they do not disconnect due to their own weight.
• Do not cover the Power Reducer Box. This can lead to heat accumulation in the device.
• You can mount the Power Reducer Box together with the necessary network technology
(e.g. network switch, router, power supply) in one enclosure.

Mounting the Device SMA Solar Technology AG
14 REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 Technical Description
4.3 Mounting the Power Reducer Box on the Wall.
Mounting Accessories Provided
1. Determine the installation site taking into
consideration the installation location and space
required.
2. Determine the position of the Power Reducer Box on
the wall and mark the drill holes with a pen
(see section 4.1 ).
3. Drill the holes (diameter 6 mm) at the marked
positions and insert wall anchors.
4. Screw in the screws and leave about a 6 mm
clearance between the screw head and the wall.
5. Hang the Power Reducer Box on the screws.
☑ The Power Reducer Box is mounted.
Position Quantity Designation
A2 Screws
B2 Wall anchor

SMA Solar Technology AG Mounting the Device
Technical Description REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 15
4.4 Mounting the Power Reducer Box on a Top Hat Rail.
No additional mounting equipment is necessary in order to mount the Power Reducer Box onto a top
hat rail.
1. Hook the Power Reducer Box with both lower brackets under the lower edge of the top hat rail.
2. Press the Power Reducer Box upwards and snap the top hat rail into the upper brackets.
☑ The Power Reducer Box is mounted.

Electrical Connection SMA Solar Technology AG
16 REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 Technical Description
5 Electrical Connection
5.1 Overview of the Connection Area
All other connections on the Power Reducer Box have no function.
5.2 Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the Radio Ripple Control
Receiver
WARNING!
Risk of lethal electric shock as a result of incorrect working on the Power Reducer
Box.
• All work on the Power Reducer Box may only be carried out by qualified personnel.
Position Designation
A Connection for the plug-in power supply
B AUXCOM for connection to the radio ripple control receiver
C Ethernet connection
DSD card slot
NOTICE!
Damage to the Power Reducer Box or the radio ripple control receiver due to
incorrect connections.
• The connection of the Power Reducer Box to a radio ripple control receiver may only
be carried out by qualified personnel.

SMA Solar Technology AG Electrical Connection
Technical Description REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 17
This section describes the connection of the Power Reducer Box to a radio ripple control receiver. The
configuration of the radio ripple control receiver depends on the device and manufacturer.
Digital Output Port of the Radio Ripple Control Receiver
1. Connect the pre-assembled cable to the radio ripple control receiver. You will find the wiring
layout in the following diagram.
NOTICE!
Damage to the Power Reducer Box due to too high input voltages.
• Use the +5 V wire from PIN 6 of the AUXCOM terminal for the control of the inputs
via the relay contacts.
• Do not use external power supplies.
Insulated
conductor color
(DIN 47100 without
color repetition)
Signal AUXCOM configuration Description
gray +5 V 6 Power supply (+5 V)
white K1 1 Relay contact 1
brown K2 2 Relay contact 2
green K3 4 Relay contact 3
yellow K4 5 Relay contact 4

Electrical Connection SMA Solar Technology AG
18 REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 Technical Description
2. Plug the 7 pole plug into the AUXCOM terminal of
the Power Reducer Box.
☑ The Power Reducer Box is connected to the radio
ripple control receiver.
5.3 Connecting the Power Reducer Box to the Ethernet Network
The Power Reducer Box is equipped with an integrated network connection, which enables it to be
connected to any Ethernet network. The terminal supports both Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networks
(10 / 100 Mbit/s). The speed is switched automatically depending on the connected switch, router
or PC.
5.3.1 Connection within a Local Network
1. Connect the Power Reducer Box to the network with
the red Ethernet cable via the Ethernet terminal of
the enclosure. The receiver (switch, router) normally
has the same designation. If you have questions
then please read the receiver manual.
Standard configuration:
Active power limitation for K1 = 0 %, K2 = 30 %, K3 = 60 % and K4 = 100 %.
Initial start-up
Please note that before integration of the Power Reducer Box into a local network, you must
configure the Power Reducer Box for your network (see section 6”Getting started”
(page20)).

SMA Solar Technology AG Electrical Connection
Technical Description REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 19
5.3.2 Connecting the Power Reducer Box Directly to a PC
1. Connect the Power Reducer Box directly to the PC
via the Ethernet terminal of the enclosure. For this,
use the blue Ethernet cable. The PC should
normally have the same designation. If necessary,
refer to the PC manual.
Ethernet cabling recommendations
If the delivered Ethernet cable is too short, please note the following when purchasing a
longer cable:
• You require a patch cable.
• Unnecessarily long cables have an adverse effect on the signal quality. The
maximum permitted cable length for Ethernet cable is 100 m per segment.
• Use high quality cable, at least category 5 (SFTP Cat 5) or higher shielded twisted
pair.
Ethernet cabling recommendations
If the delivered Ethernet cable is too short, please note the following when purchasing a
longer cable:
• You require a crossover cable.
• Unnecessarily long cables have an adverse effect on the signal quality. The
maximum permitted cable length for Ethernet cable is 100 m per segment.
• Use high quality cable, at least category 5 (SFTP Cat 5) or higher shielded twisted
pair.

Getting started SMA Solar Technology AG
20 REDUCERBOX-TEN100412 Technical Description
6 Getting started
Before you use the Power Reducer Box for the first time, you must integrate it into your Ethernet
network. For this you must connect the Power Reducer Box directly to the PC (see section
5.3.2”Connecting the Power Reducer Box Directly to a PC” (page19)).
6.1 Connecting the Power Supply
Only connect the plug-in power supply after all necessary electrical connections to the Power Reducer
Box have been made (Ethernet connection, radio ripple control receiver). Upon connection to the
plug-in power supply the Power Reducer Box starts and is operationally ready after approx.
60 - 90 seconds.
Connecting the Plug-in Power Supply
1. Check the connections.
2. Connect the DC plug connector of the power supply unit to the DC connection of the Power
Reducer Box.
3. Insert the plug-in power supply into the power outlet.
☑ The Power Reducer Box starts.
6.2 Network Settings
Changing network settings
Do not change any network settings either on your PC or the Power Reducer Box if you are
not certain about the consequences of the changes. Changing certain values via the PC
can corrupt your existing network partially or completely. In severe cases, the Power
Reducer Box can no longer be accessed from the PC. You will need the corresponding user
authorizations on the PC in order to be able to change network settings. If in doubt, contact
the network administrator.
Operating system
The following descriptions apply to Windows XP with Internet Explorer 6. The descriptions
are similar and should be recognizable when using Windows 2000 / Vista or Internet
Explorer 5/7/8..